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How the Enterprise Communications Landscape Has Changed

For many of us, it can be difficult to imagine how people worked
before the Internet was widely used. A time when the usage of
desk phones, typewriters, telecopiers was the norm, keeping a
phone address book was handy, using a fax machine was mainstream,
and time was luxury.

The way businesses communicate has made enormous leaps to get to
where it is today. The bulk of the change has happened in the
last two decades with the shift from division multiplexing (TDM)
to Internet Protocol (IP) and large enterprises especially
multinationals represent the segment that has evolved most
rapidly. The shift has certainly been a fertile base for
technology-led changes in the enterprise communications space.

Today, we’re experiencing an explosion of tools and services that
promise increased productivity and an enhanced user experience.
However, the pace of change has made the landscape harder to
navigate. Here’s a look at some of the key challenges that has
defined the space.

Changes in Organisational Structure

Organisational structures and functions have changed drastically
over the years, prompted by multifaceted waves of change in the
business environment. As businesses adapt to these new
developments, so must the way they communicate both internally
and externally. More companies are realising the value of a
flatter organisational structure, which provides the opportunity
to leverage viewpoints of every employee in the company. However,
in an environment where everyone is entitled to an opinion,
communications can be challenging – there is a need for an
enterprise communications solution that empowers employees to
contribute, and at the same time, minimise the potential
confusion that may ensue.

Globalisation

The world is growing smaller. Organisations must manage clients
anywhere and collaborate with associates spread out all over the
world. The more distant the associates are located, the more they
need the right tools to communicate within the organization.
Globalisation by-products like virtual teams and transnational
partnerships are poised to grow. They demand a richer
communications platform that allow for real-time exchanges as
traditional modes of enterprise communications, like audio
teleconferencing and emails, are less likely to be effective. The
global market requires a new level of efficiency and the
companies that rise to the challenge will be the winners.

Collaboration

The information age calls for individuals holding different
information and having varying expertise to come together for
success. Today, there’s a proliferation of B2B collaboration
software. A properly executed enterprise collaboration strategy
empowers employees and connects the customer experience ecosystem
in new ways to create business value. However, it’s evolving so
rapidly that many enterprises find themselves mired in a state of
constant transition, tangled up in support issues and using
multiple tools that are never fully adopted – or fully
functional.

Most enterprises never manage to achieve a fully deployed,
advanced collaboration experience. Instead, digital collaboration
has become a proverbial “loose end” that is difficult to tie up.
According to Wainhouse Research, 40 percent of enterprises have
no unified communications (UC) provision at all, leaving
employees to use unsanctioned, unsecured B2C platforms – or
simply not collaborate at all. Shockingly, 40 percent of all
licenses have not been deployed: a huge overspend caused by
traditional, inflexible licensing models.

So, what are elements shaping the future to ensure that
enterprise communications continue to evolve for better results?

Software is rapidly rising to the very top of enterprises’
priority list – it’s becoming a facilitator for other business
units as well as a growth driver.

A hybrid strategy of connected platforms that combines the
best of both enterprise platforms and the cloud is being
increasingly recommended as they are reliable, robust and suited
to enterprise tasks and processes.

New business models that give room for trial and testing, for
example; professional grade, on-demand as well as freemium models
give you the flexibility to scale features, technologies and user
groups as needed. New communications platform as a service
(CPaaS) capabilities are creating a paradigm shift – integrating
communication Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) directly
into industry-specific applications and workflows. You can pay
per user, per day, and per feature – however you like.

At the heart of the many changes that have shaped (or are
currently shaping) enterprise communication is enhancing business
value. At the core is a connected strategy encompassing digital
collaboration, open standards, custom integration and new
business models, that offer the most potential for growth,
adoption and innovation.